Jack Johnson and the Roots Let ‘Rudolph’ Fly
Armed with sleigh bells and clad in adorable matching red sweaters, Jack Johnson and the Roots joined forces on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night for a charming, laid-back rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Laced with a bubbling keyboard line, bumping tuba and a closing guitar solo courtesy of “Captain” Kirk Douglas (who tossed in a little “Jingle Bells” riff at the end), the Christmas classic has never sounded more suited for bumming away the winter on a beach. What’s more, starting today you can download Johnson and the Roots’ breezy, slightly blues-y performance of “Rudolph” on iTunes with all profits going to the Red Cross relief effort in the Philippines.
Watch Jack Johnson, Neil Young and Dave Matthews Triumph at Farm Aid
Johnson was on Late Night back in September to play “Radiate” off his new record From Here to Now to You. The singer also recently showed off his effortlessly cool tunes with a set at New York’s Lincoln Center as part of their Front and Center series, where he paid tribute to his wife, Kim, with a performance of From Here‘s “I Got You,” and also whipped up “Banana Pancakes” – accompanied by an accordion, no less – from 2005’s In Between Dreams.
Johnson has been on the road in support of From Here to Now to You since early September, though his 2013 dates actually kicked off with a sudden headlining set at Bonnaroo when he was asked to fill in last-minute for Mumford & Sons. Since then the singer has been trekking across the United States and Europe, a journey you can follow in this exclusive photo set shot by the singer-songwriter’s friend Emmett Malloy.